Anointed Three Times – David and Jesus

Have you ever noticed that David was anointed king on three separate occasions?

“Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward.” – 1 Samuel 16:13

“And the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah.” – 2 Samuel 2:4

“So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord, and they anointed David king over Israel.” – 2 Samuel 5:3

Why was David anointed king on three separate occasions?

What does this have to do with Jesus?

The following is simply what I believe the Spirit was revealing to me this morning. There are likely other ways to understand David’s three anointings.

DAVID ANOINTED BY SAMUEL

Israel rejected God as their king and asked for a king like all the other nations. So, Israel chose Saul as their king. Saul means asked for. As I have written previously, Saul as king of Israel is a picture of our soul ruling our life in place of God.

Saul disobeyed God and was rejected as king. When he was rejected, God told Samuel to go to Jesse because he had provided for himself a king among the sons of Jesse. Samuel eventually found David, whom God told Samuel to anoint as king.

So, we read in 1 Samuel 16:13, “Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward.”

Despite the fact that David was anointed by Samuel as king, Saul remained king for quite some time. So, while David was anointed king, he did not take his seat on the throne until Saul died.

How do we see Jesus in this?

Samuel means name of God. In this anointing, Samuel is a picture of the Father.

David means beloved. He is a picture of Jesus as the beloved son of God.

Horns represent power, and oil represents the Holy Spirit.

Now, we see the Father taking the power of the Holy Spirit and putting it upon Jesus in the midst of his brothers. Therefore, the Holy Spirit was on Jesus from that day forward.

Luke 3:21-22 says, “Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

God chose Jesus as king from among his brothers. God anointed him with the Holy Spirit. Notice that this occurred during Jesus’ baptism, which was done in at the same time all of the other people were baptized by John. Jesus was anointed in the midst of his brothers.

When John the baptist baptized Jesus, he said God told him “he on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain.” (John 1:33). Not only did God anoint Jesus with the Holy Spirit, but the Holy Spirit rested on Jesus for the rest of his life.

Even though Jesus was anointed king, our souls still ruled our hearts as the kings we had asked for in rejecting God.

DAVID ANOINTED BY JUDAH

After Saul died, David was anointed a second time. But, he wasn’t anointed a second time Samuel. Now, he was anointed by the men of Judah. 2 Samuel 2:4 says, “And the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah.”

Then David was told that the men of Jabesh-gilead had buried Saul. In 2 Samuel 2:7 David said, “Now therefore let your hands be strong, and be valiant, for Saul your lord is dead, and the house of Judah has anointed me king over them.”

2 Samuel 2:11 says, “And the time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.”

We saw the first time David was anointed as a picture of God anointing Jesus as king in his baptism. I believe the second time David was anointed is a picture of the believers acknowledgment and allegiance to Jesus as king. We “anointed” Jesus in the sense that we agreed with God that Jesus is king of our hearts.

How so?

First, the men of Judah anointed David as king. Judah means praise. So, we have a picture of all that praise Jesus as those that have anointed him king.

Second, notice that the second time that David was anointed Saul had died. The men of Jabesh-gilead had buried Saul. We know that Saul is a picture of our soul ruling our lives in rejection of God as king.

But, what does Jabesh-gilead reveal to us?

Jabesh means dry. There are a number of ways to translate Gilead, but one of them is perpetual fountain. So, those that have buried their soul, removed their soul as their king, are those that were dry but have come to perpetual fountain.

In John 4, Jesus meets a woman at a well. He asks her for a drink. The woman asks how Jesus could be asking her for a drink when he’s a Jew and she’s a Samaritan. Jesus says that if she knew who he was she would have asked him for a drink.

Eventually, Jesus tells the woman, “Everyone drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that i will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give will become a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

The water that Jesus is giving to this dry, thirsty woman will be a perpetual fountain.

As the conversation continues, Jesus says to the woman, “But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

So, the woman said to Jesus, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). The woman saw that all of this was connected to the coming king.

Jesus said, “I who speak to you am he.”

The woman buried her soul, received Jesus as king, and proceeded to proclaim him king to everyone in her town.

The second time David was anointed we are told that he was king in Hebron over the house of Judah for seven years and six months.

What does this reveal about Jesus?

Hebron was one of the cities of refuge, all of which are picture of Jesus. But, this particular city of refuge, Hebron, means association, community, or alliance.

The number seven symbolizes perfection, completion and rest.

The number six symbolizes work.

Six month are half a year. A half symbolizes a covenant.

I believe David anointed as king over Hebron for seven years and six months is a picture of Jesus as king over his community, his church, those that have pledged allegiance to him. These are the people that have received his completed work, the new covenant.

While David literally was king over Hebron for seven years and six months, this is not the literal time Jesus is king over his church. Rather, it’s symbolic of the complete period of time that the people who have pledged allegiance to Jesus as king are in the rest, under the reign of Jesus, of his new covenant.

ISH-BOSHETH WAS KING OVER ISRAEL

But, the second time David was anointed was limited in its scope. David was only king in Hebron over the people of Judah and the people of Jabesh-gilead.

This is true today of Jesus. Jesus is only king to those who buried their soul and anointed him king of their hearts. Jesus is king to those who were dry but have come to the perpetual fountain. He is only king to those who are the community that are under his rest and work of the new covenant.

2 Samuel 2:8-10 says, “But Abner the son of Ner, commander of Saul’s army, took Ish-bosheth the son of Saul and brought him over to Mahaniam, and he made him king over Gilead and the Ashurites, and Jezereel and Ephraim and Benjamin and all Israel. Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son, was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned two years.”

The vast majority of the people did not come David’s kingship, just as today the vast majority of people do not recognize Jesus as king.

So, who was king over the rest of the people?

Ish-bosheth the son of Saul was their king.

Ish-bosheth means man of shame. Over and over, the psalms show that the man who trusts in God, who has made God his king, is not put to shame. Conversely, those who did not trust in God as king will be put to shame.

Interestingly, the name Ish-bosheth can also be thought of as the man who is dry. The dry men who came to the perpetual fountain, Jabesh-gilead anointed Jesus as king. The man who is dry has not received Jesus as king.

The man of shame who became king was brought to Mahaniam. Mahaniam was two camps or two hosts. All the people who have the man of shame as king are trying to serve two masters. There are people that try to serve God and mammon even though Jesus says that you cannot love them both. Truly, you can only love the one and hate the other. But, the vast majority of people try to love God and mammon.

The man of sham was king over Gilead, the Ashurites, Jezreel, Ephraim, Benjamin, and all Israel.

While Gilead can mean perpetual fountain, it can also mean heap of booty.

It’s not clear if the text means the Ashurites or the Asherites. But, if it is the Ashurites, it seems that these people are free from spiritual things and focused on earthly things.

Jezreel means God sows or he will be sown of God.

Ephraim means fruitfulness.

Benjamin means son of my right hand.

There seems to be a progression here.

The rest of people that have not received Jesus as king are ruled by the man of shame. They are divided between God and mammon. Instead of the man of shame being king over the perpetual fountain, he is king of a heap of booty, treasures of the earth. These people are free from spiritual things.

Philippians 3:18-19 says, “For many, of whom I often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.”

But, Ish-bosheth became king when he was 40 and only reigned two years.

The flood lasted 40 days and 40 nights. Israel wandered 40 years in the wilderness. Forty symbolizes testing and trials.

The number two can symbolize division.

So, those that are ruled not by Jesus but by the man of shame wander in testing and trial that separates them Jesus as their king.

But, as I said there seems to be a progression in what the man of shame was king over. For, God will sow into these people. They will become fruitful. Eventually they are with the son of my right hand all Israel.

That leads us to the third time David was anointed.

DAVID ANOINTED BY ALL THE ELDERS OF ISRAEL

Now, Ish-bosheth, the man of shame, had died.

2 Samuel 5:1-5 says, “Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, ‘Behold, we are your bone and flesh. In times past, when Saul was king over us, it was you who led out and brought in Israel. And the Lord said to you, “You shall be shepherd of my people Israel, and you shall be prince over Israel.” So all the elders came to the king at Hebron, and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord, and they anointed David king over Israel. David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years. At Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and at Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years.”

All the people ruled by the man of shame now come Jesus who is king over his community, the church. All these people recognize that they are actually a part of Jesus, of his bone and flesh.

These people now recognize that even though they had their souls as their king, it was really Jesus who was their king, their shepherd, the one leading them out and then in, all along.

It’s then that Jesus is anointed king over all people.

Why do I say all people?

Israel in the Old Testament was a picture of God’s people. But, all men and women are created in the image of God. All people are God’s people. God has poured out his Spirit on all flesh. Yes, all have not realized it. And, not all will even realize it in this age.

But, Philippians 2:10-11 says “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Nothing in heaven and on earth and under the earth is excluded.

This is why Paul says in Ephesians 1:9-10 that God is “making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.”

Paul says it another way in Colossians 1:15-20, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of the cross.”

We see the fulfillment of Paul’s statements in the vision show to John in Revelation 7:9-12. “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’ And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, ‘Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our forever and ever! Amen.”

It’s interesting that when it is all Israel, all God’s people anointing David, Jesus, as king that it takes place at Jerusalem. Could this be a picture of the New Jerusalem? Revelation 21:3 says, “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.” And verse 5 says, “And he who was seated on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’”

David reigned in Jerusalem 33 years. Could this be a picture of God’s complete work of creation?

The number 33 appears quite a bit in the Bible.

Leviticus 12:1-4 says that after a male son was born, the woman was unclean for seven days, the boy was circumcised on the eighth day, and then the woman continued in the blood of her purifying for 33 days. Interesting.

1 Kings 2:11 says that David reigned in Hebron seven years and Jerusalem 33 years. David is a type of Christ. This is getting more interesting.

In the account of creation, which spans Genesis 1:1 to Genesis 2:4, the 33rd time Elohim, one of the names of God, is used it says “God finished his work (Genesis 2:2). God finished (keep that in mind for later) the first creation the 33rd time his name was mentioned.

In the first mid-week Bible study in 2017, I spoke on Creation: A Witness to Jesus. In that study, I discussed how John says that Jesus was ushering in a new creation.

How old was Jesus when he died? 33!

How many unique miracles are recorded in the gospels when Jesus was ushering in the new creation? 33!

How many unique parables did Jesus speak when he was telling us about the new creation? 33!

So, David was anointed three different times.

The first anointing pictures God declaring Jesus king in our midst.

The second anointing pictures the believers, the church, declaring Jesus to be their king.

The third anointing pictures all creation, every knee bowing and every tongue confessing, around the throne declaring the Lamb to be king.